Easy Baked Ratatouille Recipe
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An easy way to make a traditional ratatouille recipe. Baked ratatouille is a casserole with fresh Mediterranean vegetables. This colorful, rustic dish is ready in less than an hour.
If you’re searching for a vegetarian main dish with a TON of flavor, baked ratatouille has it going on! This recipe is a fresh and simple version of a traditional French ratatouille recipe.
I make this easy baked casserole in a pan, and include a tasty balance of healthy, colorful veggies.
The finished dish is sprinkled with basil pesto sauce and soft goat cheese right when it comes out of the oven. The cheese melts into a creamy, delicious topping that is so good.
Ratatouille is a peasant dish from the south of France. It is considered one of the best vegetarian casseroles in the world.
This hearty dish has been made for centuries in some form in countries all around the Mediterranean.
It’s basically a thick vegetable stew made in a pot, most typically made with crushed tomatoes, garlic cloves, zucchini, bell peppers and eggplant.
If you think you’re not a fan of classic ratatouille, I’m right there with you.
I can remember eating ratatouille back when I was a college student, and the pictures that pop into my head aren’t pretty at all.
The “ratatouille” that was offered as an option for vegetarians back then resembled brownish-green overcooked slop.
It was nowhere near the beautiful dish of colorful vegetables it’s meant to be.For a hot minute (more than a minute, actually) I never wanted to see ratatouille again!
Obviously, I’ve gotten over the trauma and learned how to make Provencal-inspired ratatouille that tastes like a dream. Trust me on this.
What makes baked ratatouille taste so good?
Let’s be real — baking eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes and peppers changes their textures.
Ideally, the vegetables release natural juices and sugars and become pleasantly tender in the oven. That magical sweetness is one reason roasted vegetables taste so good.
When a rustic dish like ratatouille comes together perfectly, you get meltingly tender sweet vegetables, tangy juices, and the beautiful fragrance of garlic and herbs. Are you hungry yet?!
The best ratatouille has a good balance of mixed vegetables, not too much of one or another. Traditional ratatouille is based on vegetables common in the Mediterranean diet.
- Eggplant (Aubergine)
- Green Squash (Zucchini) and/or Yellow Squash
- Tomatoes
- Garlic
- Bell Peppers – Red or orange bells are a must. Green bell peppers are not sweet, and turn the dish an unappealing olive green color.
- Herbs – Aromatic fresh herbs like fresh basil, thyme, rosemary or marjoram. Dried herbs will work too.
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Olive oil – I recommend a good extra-virgin oil.
This is a question I get asked a lot, but be assured that you don’t need to salt eggplant.
Generations ago, the type of eggplants that were grown tasted bitter. Salting the flesh before cooking helped to take some of that bitterness away. It also made the eggplant’s flesh softer for frying without absorbing too much oil.
I’ve been cooking eggplant for many years. I never pre-salt it and it always turns out deliciously.
But that’s probably because modern varieties of eggplant tend to be sweeter than the ones my grandmother cooked with years ago.
Eggplant tip: Choose really fresh glossy-skinned eggplant in your market that are not too large and feel firm to the touch. Or trying growing your own!
What to serve with ratatouille
- Spoon over creamy polenta or couscous as a vegetarian main dish or side dish.
- Enjoy it all by itself, with sliced toasted sourdough bread on the side.
- Stir in some cannellini beans or chickpeas for extra protein and a gluten-free option.
- If you’re not on a vegetarian diet, make ratatouille a landing pad on your plate for cooked animal protein (chicken, shrimp, salmon)
Make ratatouille in advance
Some dishes were invented to be leftovers, like soups and stews that taste even better the next day (and the day after).
Ratatouille is a perfect dish to do ahead. Make a batch of this baked ratatouille — it serves up to 6 people as a side, or 4 as a main dish — and keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- This dish can be frozen. Prepare the recipe and bake, but leave off the cheese and pesto before putting it in the freezer. Defrost and heat at 350F about 20 minutes, then add the cheese and pesto before serving.
You don’t need to peel eggplant for this ratatouille recipe, but I usually trim off some of it for the best texture.
I actually like to peel off strips of skin, leaving the slices with pretty stripes. That way you get a little of both parts of the eggplant in each bite!
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Easy Vegetable Ratatouille
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound (450 g) eggplant
- 2 small zucchini, 8-10 ounces total, sliced into 1/2″ circles
- 1 red or orange bell pepper, seeded and sliced into large bite-size pieces
- 1 small red onion, sliced (about 1/2 cup)
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves plus 3 or 4 sprigs
- 1 cup (250 ml) canned tomato puree or crushed tomatoes
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed or grated
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 plum tomatoes or other small tomato, sliced
- 3 ounces (75 g) soft goat cheese, omit for vegan
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) prepared basil pesto
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 (220 C) degrees.
- Peel the eggplant, if desired, or leave some of the skin on in strips. Trim off the stem and sliced into quarters lengthwise, then slice into 1-inch thick half moons.
- Put the eggplant in a large bowl with the zucchini, bell pepper and onion. Drizzle with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and the chopped thyme and toss together.
- Pour the tomato puree into a 4-5 quart casserole or baking dish. Stir in the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, garlic, red and black pepper and spread over the bottom of the dish.
- Arrange the vegetables in the dish in one layer. Top with the sliced tomatoes and thyme sprigs. Bake 30-35 minutes. The juices should be bubbling and the eggplant tender when pierced with a the tip of a knife. Remove the thyme stems (you can crumble the leaves over the dish first).
- Sprinkle the goat cheese over the ratatouille and drizzle with the pesto. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- Ratatouille keeps well for up to 5 days in the refrigerator – and tastes even better leftover!
- Freezing Directions: Prepare and bake without the cheese and pesto. Freeze in a well wrapped container for up to 1 month. Defrost and heat at 350F about 20 minutes. Add the cheese and pesto before serving.
Nutrition
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.
Can you use broccoli or cabbage in this recipe? I love Ratatouille, this sounds delicious!
You could use either – just be sure to cut them into smaller pieces so they become tender along with the other veggies.
What a great way to “deal” with a surplus of zucchini! I can’t wait to try this.
–Liza
This was delicious; made with lots of veggies from our garden and homemade pesto. The goat cheese and pesto added a nice punch.
Thanks.
I add red wine,oregano,lemon peel & tomato paste to the olive oil mixture.Be sure not to undercook this dish. brings out that deep Provence flavor).
can I ask please, the eggplant. Every recipe I have ever done using eggplant has called for sprinkling with salt after slicing, and leaving for a while then rinsing off before cooking. Something about them having a bitter taste if you don’t … is that the case? Many thanks 🙂 I want to try this recipe for sure !
Hi Rona – that’s such a great question! I’ve been cooking eggplant for years and years, and pretty much NEVER do the pre-salting before cooking. My opinion is that it’s an old-school technique. Modern varieties of eggplant are not too bitter. Choose fresh, firm eggplant and you’ll be good to go.
thank you so much! I will bake this tonight 🙂
I have make this dish but I love vegetables so I’ll try it this weekend. I’ll let you know how I do.
Yes please let me know!
This looks SO yummy! Thank you for sharing! ?
What a colorful dish!! Can’t wait to try.